Grapplers Fall to Red; Freshmen Shine

Now for a little mathematical exercise. If the Harvard wrestling team gave Cornell five decisions and a pin, took three decisions for themselves and shared a tie with them, what does it equal?

Answer: a loss, but not a bad one.

It could have been worse. An Ivy wrestling powerhouse like Cornell could have decimated the Harvard team. In past years, the mats would have been streaked with the blood, sweat and tears of Crimson defeat and humiliation.

But for Saturday's match, defeat is the only word that fits. With a score, of 24-11, Harvard can at least claim a dignified loss.

First Lesson

Janis + Cole + Konovalchik - + Flynn = three wins and a tie = 11 points.

Brett Janis, at 118-lbs., stretched his winning streak to three matches with an 8-5 decision. Sam Cole, a 126-pounder, followed Janis' lead and rode his opponent for the final 30 seconds, clinging to a tight lead for the 5-4 win.

"Two guys that stood out really well, both freshmen, were Brett Janis and Sam Cole," Tri-Captain Alex Konovalchik said. "Brett wrestled intelligently and with a lot of intensity. I think he really set the tone of the match for all of us."

At 190-Ibs., Konovalchik also snagged three points for the Crimson with a close 4-3 decision. Heavy-weight Kelly Flynn toughed it out for a tie against an opponent that was Second Team All-Ivy last year.

"From coming off an injury he's done a hell of a job," Konovalchik said.

What happened in between?

No cigars, but Harvard came pretty close.

"There were a lot of close matches that could have gone either way," said Janis.

First English Lesson

Today's simile: As tough as over-done steak.

"Cornell is definitely tops in the Ivy," Konovalchik said. "They're always one of the toughest in the league, if not the toughest. So it's tough to open up with them for the Ivies."

"I think we were a little timid coming out," Tri-Captain John Willoughby said. "We wrestled pretty tough, but I think we can definitely wrestle better."

Although Harvard did not win, it did gain a little of what Aretha Franklin pines for.

"I think we gained their respect," Konovalchik said. "The program is really coming along. We're really starting to build. We've got a better team than last year and I'm expecting to beat both University of Pennsylvania and Princeton this weekend."